Network companies face significant challenges to effectively manage their infrastructure and to deliver operational efficiency. Regulatory demands, rapidly changing markets for capital funding, climate change and the rise of distributed generation and smart metering pose significant and exciting challenges for industry participants.

Energy Network businesses are having to be increasingly innovative about their response to these demands. For example, digital communication technologies are enhancing the control of assets and are changing how field workforces can be managed. Customer service efficiency can be driven by redesigning customer-focused processes to meet customer needs and get the response right first time. Costs can be saved by outsourcing non-core functions but ensuring knowledge and control are retained in the business. Driving efficiency in the business while minimising the carbon footprint through sourcing of greener vehicles and fuels is becoming a must to meet the needs of carbon reduction.

And of course, the introduction of smart metering and networks is a very exciting opportunity for Energy Network companies.  The technology of the smart metering system will drive change across a broad range of business functions, such as operational capacity planning, demand forecasting, customer management, product development, and field operations.  In response to the scale of this change, Baringa Partners has created a formal smart metering/smart grid practice and we are at the centre of the debate on ‘Smart’ through our role advising DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) and Ofgem.

Overall Baringa Partners has considerable experience of the strategies, systems and processes used across electricity and gas transmission and distribution business.  We have provided services to clients in the following areas:

• IT strategy and IT programme delivery
• Business process definition, design and methodology
• Management of interactions with regulators, including quality assurance of business plan submissions
• Operating model design, delivery and leadership
• Smart metering discovery workshops, trials and technology roadmap development
• Metering strategy and options analysis
• Call centre and customer service efficiency
• Delivering operational efficiency and field productivity improvement